Ridgeline eNews

MAY

Thursday 5/21 Board Meeting 6-8pm

Monday 5/25 No School - Memorial Day

Tuesday 5/26 6th grade Outdoor School - depart at 8:45 a.m.

Thursday 5/28 6th graders return from ODS at 1:00 p.m.

Thursday 5/28 End-of-Year Picnic 5:30-7 p.m. - South Field, Ridgeline

Saturday 5/30 Volunteers: Outdoor Spring Clean Up Day - 9 a.m. - Noon, at Ridgeline

JUNE

Wednesday 6/3 8th Grade Promotion 6-8 p.m. Ridgeline Gymnasium

Friday 6/5 No School - Grading Day

Monday 6/8 Middle School Adventure Trip - departs

Wednesday 6/10 Middle School Adventure Trip - returns

Wednesday 6/10 Early release at 1:05 (don’t forget!)

Thursday 6/11 Last day of school/Field Day (1:05 early dismissal)

For Quick Access:

• Ridgeline 25-26 Events Calendar
• One Page School Calendar
• Ridgeline's YouTube Channel

Attendance:

• Report an absence: attendance@ridgeline.org

• Planned Absence Form (at least 3 days in advance)

Click here to view the full calendar as some dates may change. Please note that Ridgeline’s calendar differs slightly from 4J elementary and middle school calendars.

Join us on Saturday morning, May 30th from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m., for a fun outdoor work party involving teamwork and sprucing up Ridgeline’s beautiful outdoor spaces before the 8th grade graduation, happening on June 3. Bring the whole family and watch those volunteer hours multiply!

TASKS

• We’ll be pruning, weeding, spreading mulch, and de-cobwebbing

• Bring a water bottle

• A snack (if you'd like)

• Your favorite weeding tools and gloves if you have them—and we’ll have a few extras on hand too

Many hands make light work — and we’d love your help! This is a wonderful way to get your volunteer hours in and the hours multiply if you bring kids or other family members to help.

Sign up here and see you there!

• Cookies are HALF OFF — just 50¢ each!
• Or grab a baker’s dozen: buy 12 for $6 and get 1 FREE!
• Take them home, bring them to a party, or stash some in the freezer for a sweet treat anytime.
• Banana bread and popcorn will also be available at regular prices.
• We’ll even take your pennies!

We love welcoming families to Ridgeline for community events, and we want these gatherings to be joyful, safe, and respectful for everyone.

Please remember that parents/guardians are responsible for supervising their children during all school events held outside regular school hours. While students are on campus, school expectations still apply: students are expected to be safe, respectful, and caring toward our shared environment.

Active supervision includes helping children follow clear safety boundaries. Feet should stay on the ground unless children are using designated playground equipment appropriately. Students should not climb on fences, trees, gutters, retaining walls, roofs, or other off-limits areas.

During the recent Marketplace event, students were seen climbing in this area, which created a serious safety concern and resulted in damage to the gutters. This is a clear example of why active family supervision is needed during after-hours school events.

Thank you for helping keep students safe and for reinforcing care and respect for Ridgeline’s campus during community events. 💛

To help traffic flow more smoothly during afternoon pick-up, here are a few helpful suggestions:

✅ Arrive between 2:40–2:50pm if you'd like to find a closer parking spot for the 3:05pm pick-up time.

✅ OR arrive around 3:10–3:15pm to catch the end of the pick-up line.

⛔ If you arrive after 2:50pm, please continue circling the block and make a left on Snell. The loop takes approximately 2–3 minutes and helps keep traffic moving safely and efficiently for everyone.

💛 Thank you for your patience and for helping keep traffic flowing smoothly!

Missed the yearbook deadline? Worry not!! We still have a limited number of yearbooks available for purchase!

• Don’t wait — quantities are limited and yearbooks will be sold on a first come, first served basis.
• Yearbooks are $25 each, and all proceeds go directly back to the school.

All students in 4J schools (including Ridgeline) can get a student pass to ride Lane Transit District (LTD) buses for free. Student transit passes can be used to travel anywhere within the LTD service area. Student passes can be used at any time—after school, on weekends and during school breaks, as well as to get to and from school each day.

BONUS: LTD passes will be $1 per trip in July and August, so adults/parents can ride with your student(s) for a very low cost. Contact Cynthia Friedman if you'd like a student bus pass before summer break begins.

🛍️ Student Marketplace Thank Yous! 💛

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who helped make this year’s Student Marketplace such a wonderful community event!

🌟 Special appreciation goes to Jenny Noyce, our Marketplace Volunteer Coordinator, for all of the time, organization, and care that went into making the event run so smoothly. Many thanks!

👏 Thank you to Alycia Canavan, Cory Hoover, Jenny Noyce, Noora Derrington-Via, Don Whitsell, and Tammy Nezol for helping with event set-up and arriving early to assist with tables and chairs.

☕ A big thank you to our hospitality cashiers — Devin Hughes, Nasim Talebreza-May, and Laura Waters — and to Lillian Groff for keeping the coffee hot and the hot water ready to go throughout the event!

🥐 Special thanks to Jess & Gordo Wood, owners of the Eugene Great Harvest Bread Company, for generously donating two dozen pastries to the Continental Breakfast station.

🍪We also want to thank the Middle School Cookie Crew and parent volunteers Shikha DeFazio, Amanda Bedortha, and Alycia Canavan for baking sooooo many cookies leading up to this special day!

🎉 Great news: hospitality sales totaled $565.75! By the end of the event, they had completely sold out of banana bread, pastries, and Rice Krispies treats! Big thanks to everyone who purchased snacks--all food and beverage proceeds directly support the upcoming Middle School Adventure Trip.

💵 Student vendor donations totaled $686.00! Special thanks to Mica Derrington-Via for collecting Marketplace donations and a big thank you to everyone who supported our Ridgeline student vendors!

🧹 And finally, a round of applause for our amazing clean-up crew: Amber Lippert, Devin Hughes, Don Whitsell, Jacob & Kim Ritley, Laura Allen, Peter Ralph, and Jenny Noyce for helping pick up and restore campus after the event.

We are so grateful for this generous, hardworking, and supportive community! 🌟

A big thank you to Jillian Hoy, Mica & Noora Derrington-Via, Matt Jorgenson, and Ayelet Amittay for supporting Room 4 students on their field trip to Winter Green Farm.

We are so grateful for the volunteers who help make these enriching learning experiences possible for our students! 💛

🎉 Field Day Fun! 🏃‍♀️☀️

Let’s celebrate the LAST day of school with a whole gaggle of games, laughter, and fun activities! 🎈🎯💦

We’re looking for 12 awesome volunteers to help run activity stations, plus a few extra hands for clean-up afterward. 🙌

We’re looking for 2–4 volunteers to help care for Ridgeline’s campus over the summer by serving on our Summer Watering Team. With several people sharing the responsibility, this becomes a manageable and even enjoyable commitment—typically about one evening per week. Your help will greatly support and lighten the workload of our facilities team during the summer months.

Volunteers should be comfortable with communication, attention to detail, and following a watering schedule using a shared spreadsheet. If you’re interested and available to help please contact Jesse at jesse.cloninger@ridgeline.org.

Thank you for helping keep our campus thriving all summer long! 🌱

Volunteer hour reporting is important because it helps us demonstrate community support for Ridgeline when applying for grants and when reporting to our sponsoring district.

Now is a great time to look back at your calendar, jog your memory, and log any past hours.

• Don’t worry about being exact—estimates and bulk entries are absolutely fine.
• If you volunteered in a classroom but don’t recall specific dates, you can simply log something like: “classroom volunteer – 15 hours.”

• It’s easy to get started in Track it Forward—just click on the link and follow the instructions.
• The platform is also available as an app if it’s more convenient to use on your phone!

Thank you for taking time to log your volunteers hours - every entry helps!

Below is the list of 2025–2026 volunteer teams and there's always room for more volunteer power! Click on the links below if you want to be part of one of the fun volunteer teams! These groups are a great way to connect with other Ridgeline families and get in your volunteer hours!💌

Event Teams:

• Student Marketplace

• Spring Walk + Roll to School

• Hospitality Team (staff appreciation week ) - Complete for this year
• Stone Soup - Complete for this year
• Student Talent Show - Complete for this year

Ongoing Teams:

• Lunch Bunch

• Library Team

• Crossing Guard Crew

• Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB)

• Helping Hands Material Prep Team (book covering, sign making, etc)

• Campus Care Crew

There’s a place for everyone to get involved and make this year amazing! If you have questions or want to learn more about any of these teams email Bethany at bethany.dilla@ridgeline.org or visit Track It Forward.

***Classroom volunteer opportunities are now available. Look for these sign-ups through your classroom organizer emails.

Volunteers are an essential part of the Ridgeline community, and there are many ways to get involved!

• From serving on committees, preparing materials at home, and helping with grounds work, to assisting in classrooms, chaperoning field trips, acting as crossing guards, and more—your time and talents make a big difference.

Each family is asked to contribute 40 volunteer hours per school year and we’d love to help you find volunteer opportunities that fit your schedule and interests.

• To participate, all volunteers must first complete a background check and sign the Volunteer Code of Conduct.
• Once these two steps are complete, the School Community Coordinator will notify you by email that you are green badge approved and ready to volunteer!
• Visit our website or contact Ridgeline’s School Community Coordinator, Bethany Dilla, or learn more.

Hello Ridgeline community! The Ridgeline Board of Directors will hold a regular meeting on Thursday, May 21, at 6:00 pm in the Ridgeline library and over Zoom. All Ridgeline community members are welcome to join our regular board meetings, and to make a public comment. The designated time for public comment is at the start of meetings.

Our meeting agenda includes policy review and adopting a resolution to create an ad hoc summer facilities committee.

You can find the agenda here. 05-21-2026 Ridgeline Board Meeting Agenda

In order to attend virtually, please use this Zoom link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84074040106pwd=R6PzazBjJFrxabUMtT92ZabaJ7bptn.1

Meeting ID: 840 7404 0106 Passcode: 824778

Community members can also reach the Board of Directors via email (board@ridgeline.org). Public comment may also be made in writing and emailed to the board prior to the meeting. In order to be fully considered at this meeting, comments must be received by noon on the day of the meeting. Please clearly label the email subject line as: "Public Comment." Prior to the meeting, board members will read, review, and take into consideration all comments.

Summer of Riding

Summer break is almost here! To help families save on transportation costs and offer youth a safe, reliable way to explore, LTD passes are good through the summer. Youth K-12 can ride all LTD buses free through October 15, 2026, with the student transit pass.

Why Get a Pass?

• Endless Summer Fun: Easily get to pools, parks, museums, libraries and friends.

• Cost Savings: No need to pay for gas or parking.

• Independence: A Reliable way for students to get to summer jobs or activities.

Let LTD Do the Driving this Summer

Students can pick up their free pass from the school’s main office before the last day of school. Don’t wait! Get your pass now and enjoy a summer of freedom and fun. Travel with LTD’s Free Student Transit Pass and always have a ride. Learn more at LTD.org/Student-Pass.

Deja que LTD maneje este verano

Los estudiantes de kínder a 12º grado en escuelas públicas, privadas, chárter y en casa en todo el condado de Lane pueden recibir el Pase Estudiantil de Transporte GRATIS. Pide tu pase en la oficina de tu escuela. Más información: https://www.ltd.org/student-pass/

Contact enrollment@ridgeline.org if you have any questions. We look forward to a great rest of the school year!

Check out the NEW March 2026 article:

How Did Conflict Influence Montessori’s View of Education and Peace? - Peace begins in childhood, nurtured daily through empathy and responsibility.

Previous articles can be found here

If you want to know more about a Ridgeline or Montessori-related topic, please let us know. Simply email your question or suggestion to ridgelineoffice@ridgeline.org with 'Ridgeline Revealed' in the subject line.

Registration is now open for our Summer Emotional Regulation Camp for kids age 6-10!

Spots are limited to keep things supportive and engaging, and they tend to fill quickly.

Why families love this group:

• Builds real-life social skills through guided peer interaction

• Small group setting (max of 8) for individualized support

• Play-based approach that keeps kids engaged and learning

• Practical tools kids can use at home, school, and in the community

• Includes a parent webinar to support carryover beyond sessions

Mother’s Hollow, founded by Ridgeline parent, mother of four, developmental psychologist, and writer Dr. Jennifer Weaver, is hosting a Mother’s Circle this May and warmly invites all Ridgeline mothers to join.

Mother’s Hollow offers a safe, supportive space for mothers to explore the profound psychological shifts of motherhood—often in ways that aren’t found in everyday parenting spaces. Through intimate circles, small cohort-style classes, and one-on-one mentoring, mothers are invited to reflect, connect, and be supported on their inner journey.

Learn more at: www.mothers-hollow.com

Gathering Ferns Preschool, run by Ridgeline parent and experienced teacher Shannon Harty, is enrolling now for fall of 2026! Our program is for three- to five-year-olds and runs Monday-Thursday, 8:45a-12:45p. (Children may attend two or four days per week.) We provide a small and nurturing environment focused on community, nature, and art only a mile and a half from Ridgeline.

www.gatheringfernspreschool.com

No School? No Problem! We have your upcoming No School days covered here at Kidsports. Kidsports is excited to offer PeaceHealth Play Days for kids when school is not in session. Your kids will get to spend the day having fun, being active, trying new sports & games, being creative and playing with friends.

Grades: 1-5

Cost: $60 per day

Extended Care: additional $15 per day

Days/Times: No-school days 9am–4pm

Extended Care: 8–9am and 4–5:30pm

Location: Kidsports Fieldhouse 2054 Amazon Parkway, Eugene, OR, 97405

Dates: Jun. 5

Register Now